New York City Couple Sues For $27,000 Worth Of Takeout

It's no secret that takeout and restaurant meals can add up fast, but New Yorkers now have a ballpark figure of what it costs to eat solely restaurant fare and takeout for 10 months — about $27,000. That's what one Upper East Side couple is seeking in a lawsuit against their co-op board and management company — the couple says their lives were turned upside down when their gas was shut off.

Beverly Taki and Lous Maione say their Park Avenue apartment's gas line was cut in 2010, and they had to live without their commercial-size, six-burner oven for many months. The cost of eating out instead of in? A little more than $2,000 per month, including a $1,700 Christmas dinner bill. The inconvenience seemed to cause more than financial distress; said Maione to the New York Post of his wife's cooking, "I'd come home and my wife would have a rib roast ready or any number of desserts she was testing."

Considering the couple paid $5,7000 each month for maintenance fees, the compensation seems to be on par for the lack of response from the tenants. However, New Yorkers often face gas line outages, such as Williamsburg residents this spring or LES housing project residents this past Thanksgiving, but don't often sue for takeout payback. (We can only hope tip is included in such a large bill.)